scholarly journals Grain Refinement Effect on the Hot-Tearing Resistance of Higher-Temperature Al–Cu–Mn–Zr Alloys

Metals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian S. Sabau ◽  
Brian K. Milligan ◽  
Seyed Mirmiran ◽  
Christopher Glaspie ◽  
Amit Shyam ◽  
...  

The hot-tearing resistance of Al-Cu-Mn-Zr (ACMZ) alloys was investigated as a steptoward introducing these new cast alloys for severe duty, higher-temperature applications, such ascylinder heads for down-sized, turbocharged automotive engines. Alloy Cu compositions werevaried from 5 to 8 wt.%. Targeted Ti levels were 0.02, 0.1, and 0.2 wt.% via additions of the Al–5Ti–1B master alloy. Hot-tearing resistance was assessed by visual examination and ranking of thecracking severity in a multi-arm permanent mold casting. It was found that at high impuritycontents (Fe and Si of 0.2 wt.% each), the Al–Cu–Mn–Zr alloy with 4.95 wt.% Cu exhibited thepoorest hot-tearing resistance, irrespective of the grain refining amount. Microstructural analysisindicated an effective reduction in the grain size, as the Ti additions were increased to 0.02 and 0.1wt.% Ti via the Al–Ti–B grain refiner. The finest grain size was attained with a 0.1 wt.% Ti. Basedon the hot-tearing evaluation, it was found that the additional grain refining via the Al–5Ti–1Bmaster alloy at 0.1 wt.% Ti significantly reduces the hot-tearing susceptibility at Cu contents greaterthan 7.3 wt.% for ACMZ alloys with low Fe and Si. These findings indicate that the best hot-tearingresistance was observed at a grain refiner level of 0.1 wt.% Ti and high Cu content (greater than 7.3wt.%). This study to indicates that these Al–Cu–Mn–Zr alloys, which possess excellentmicrostructural stability and mechanical properties at elevated temperatures, can also possessexcellent hot-tearing resistance.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdallah Elsayed

For the A1-5Ti-1B grain refiner, the addition of 0.1 wt.% provided a 68 % reduction in grain size as compared to the unrefined AZ91E alloy at a holding time of five minutes. Grain growth restriction by TiB₂ particles was the source of grain refinement. With the addition of A1-5Ti-1B, only a small reduction in hot tearing susceptibility ws observed because large TiA1₃ particles bonded poorly with the eutectic and blocked feeding channels.The addition of 1.0 wt.% A1-1Ti-3B provided a grain size reduction of 63% as compared to the unrefined AZ91E alloy at a holding time of five minutes. The grain refinement with A1-1Ti-3B addition was attributed to a combination of TiB₂ grain growth restriction and A1B₂ nucleating sites. A significant reduction in hot tearing susceptibility was observed with A1-1Ti-3B addition as a result of a higher cooling rate and shorter local soldification time as compared to the AZ91E alloy. The reduction in hot tearing susceptibility was attributed to the good interface between eutectic and TiB₂ particles. Both grain refiners demonstrated a good resistance to fading during the holding times investigated. In addition, the AZ91E + A1-5Ti-1B and AZ91E + A1-1Ti-3B castings showed much fewer dislocation networks as compared to the untreated AZ91E casting.The development of efficient A1-Ti-B refiners can also improve castability of magnesium alloys. In addition, the fade resistant A1-Ti-B grain refiners can reduce operating costs and maintain productivity on the foundry floor. Thus, magnesium alloy with A1-Ti-B treatment have the potential for more demanding structural applications in the automobile and aerospace industries. Vehicle weight in the aerospace and automotive industries directly impacts carbon emissions and fuel efficiency. An increase in the use of lightweight materials for structural applications will result in lighter vehicles. Low density materials, such as magnesium (1.74 g/cm³) are a potential alternative to aluminium (2.70 g/cm³), to reduce component weight in structural applications.However, current magnesium alloys still do not have adequate mechanical properties and castability to meet the performance specifications of the automotive and aerospace industries. Grain refinement can significantly improve mechanical properties and reduce hot tearing during permanent mould casting. Recently, Al-Ti-B based grain refiners have shown potential in grain refining magnesium-aluminum alloys such as AZ91E. This study investigates the grain refining efficiency and fading of A1-5Ti-1B and A1-1Ti-3B in AZ91E magnesium alloy and their subsequent effect on hot tearing.The grain refiners were added at 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 wt.% levels. For the grain refinement and fading experiments, the castings were prepared using graphite moulds with holding times of 5, 10 and 20 minutes. For the hot tearing experiments, castings were produced representing the optimal addition level of each grain refiner. The castings were prepared using a permanent mould with pouring and mould temperatures of 720 and 180 ºC, respectively. The castings were characterized using SEM, TEM, optical microscopy and thermal analysis.


2013 ◽  
Vol 785-786 ◽  
pp. 67-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ge Wang Shuai ◽  
You Li ◽  
Zheng Hua Guo

In this paper, effects of different grain refiners on solidification structure of H62 brass under different cooling rates were investigate by macro corrosion, SEM and EDX analyses. Results of experiments indicate that the columnar crystal zone of H62 brass is completely eliminated and the grain size is reduced remarkably by 0.01%B. It has been found that the columnar grain zone is also eliminated by 0.1Ti, 0.1Zr, 0.1Ti+0.1Zr and 0.1Ti+0.1Zr+0.01B additions, respectively, but their grain refining effects are not as good as 0.01B. The grain size of H62 ingot with 0.1Ti addition prepared by sand mold casting is coarser than prepared by permanent mould casting. The microstructures of as cast H62 alloy are composed of α dendrite phases and rodlike β' phases which enrich on grain boundary to form an array structure.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdallah Elsayed

For the A1-5Ti-1B grain refiner, the addition of 0.1 wt.% provided a 68 % reduction in grain size as compared to the unrefined AZ91E alloy at a holding time of five minutes. Grain growth restriction by TiB₂ particles was the source of grain refinement. With the addition of A1-5Ti-1B, only a small reduction in hot tearing susceptibility ws observed because large TiA1₃ particles bonded poorly with the eutectic and blocked feeding channels.The addition of 1.0 wt.% A1-1Ti-3B provided a grain size reduction of 63% as compared to the unrefined AZ91E alloy at a holding time of five minutes. The grain refinement with A1-1Ti-3B addition was attributed to a combination of TiB₂ grain growth restriction and A1B₂ nucleating sites. A significant reduction in hot tearing susceptibility was observed with A1-1Ti-3B addition as a result of a higher cooling rate and shorter local soldification time as compared to the AZ91E alloy. The reduction in hot tearing susceptibility was attributed to the good interface between eutectic and TiB₂ particles. Both grain refiners demonstrated a good resistance to fading during the holding times investigated. In addition, the AZ91E + A1-5Ti-1B and AZ91E + A1-1Ti-3B castings showed much fewer dislocation networks as compared to the untreated AZ91E casting.The development of efficient A1-Ti-B refiners can also improve castability of magnesium alloys. In addition, the fade resistant A1-Ti-B grain refiners can reduce operating costs and maintain productivity on the foundry floor. Thus, magnesium alloy with A1-Ti-B treatment have the potential for more demanding structural applications in the automobile and aerospace industries. Vehicle weight in the aerospace and automotive industries directly impacts carbon emissions and fuel efficiency. An increase in the use of lightweight materials for structural applications will result in lighter vehicles. Low density materials, such as magnesium (1.74 g/cm³) are a potential alternative to aluminium (2.70 g/cm³), to reduce component weight in structural applications.However, current magnesium alloys still do not have adequate mechanical properties and castability to meet the performance specifications of the automotive and aerospace industries. Grain refinement can significantly improve mechanical properties and reduce hot tearing during permanent mould casting. Recently, Al-Ti-B based grain refiners have shown potential in grain refining magnesium-aluminum alloys such as AZ91E. This study investigates the grain refining efficiency and fading of A1-5Ti-1B and A1-1Ti-3B in AZ91E magnesium alloy and their subsequent effect on hot tearing.The grain refiners were added at 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 wt.% levels. For the grain refinement and fading experiments, the castings were prepared using graphite moulds with holding times of 5, 10 and 20 minutes. For the hot tearing experiments, castings were produced representing the optimal addition level of each grain refiner. The castings were prepared using a permanent mould with pouring and mould temperatures of 720 and 180 ºC, respectively. The castings were characterized using SEM, TEM, optical microscopy and thermal analysis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Samuel ◽  
S. S. Mohamed ◽  
H. W. Doty ◽  
S. Valtierra ◽  
F. H. Samuel

The results inferred from the present work show that Al3Ti phase has a strong affinity to react with silicon (Si) in the molten alloy leading to formation of (Al,Si)3Ti phase instead. This reaction is independent of the grain refiner type. The molten liquid temperature would change its morphology from platelets at 750°C into dendritic structure at 950°C. It has also been observed that (Al,Si)3Ti phase platelets precipitate within the α-aluminum dendrites, whereas TiB2 or AlB2 particles are released into the surrounding interdendritic regions. Introduction of the grain refiner, regardless its type, would cause change in the α-aluminum dendrite morphology from an elongated to a more rounded form. The results also reveal that addition of 100 ppm B will reduce the initial grain size by ∼85% which is more than the effect of addition of 0.2%Ti in the form of Al-10%Ti (about 65%). Elimination of undercooling is important to obtain the maximum grain refining effect.


2013 ◽  
Vol 739 ◽  
pp. 190-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Janudom ◽  
J. Wannasin ◽  
P. Kapranos ◽  
S. Wisutmethangoon

The effects of rheocasting times on the hot tearing defect in semi-solid die casting of aluminum A201 alloy have been investigated. This study found that no hot cracking formed in the semi-solid A201 alloy parts at a rheocasting time of 10 seconds, implying that the hot tearing suscepability (HTS) index value is zero. Moreover, the HTS index values for all semi-solid casting conditions were lower than those found in conventional casting samples. The microstructure of the as semi-solid casting parts consisting of non-dendritic structures and smaller grain size helped to improve the hot tearing resistance of aluminum A201 alloy. These results support the feasibility of semi-solid die casting of aluminum A201 alloy by using Gas Induced Semi-Solid (GISS) technique.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subrata K. Saha

Grain refinement is a proven method to improve mechanical properties of Mg alloys. In this research, the influence of ZnO on the microstructure of selected magnesium alloys was investigated. For graphite mold casting with an addition of 0.75 wt. % ZnO, the grain size of the AZ91E alloy decreased from 217 μm to 108 μm. For the binary alloy (Mg-9 wt.% Al), the grain size reduced from 288 μm to 93 μm with an addition of 3 wt.% ZnO. No significant fading of ZnO grain refiner was observed for both the alloys. In permanent mold casting process, with an addition of 0.5 wt.% ZnO, the grain size of the AZ91E alloy decreased from 133μm to 79 μm with significant improvements in mechanical properties. Cleavage type fracture was dominant in the base alloy while alloys refined with 0.5 wt.% ZnO showed more quasi-cleavage type fracture.


2019 ◽  
Vol 803 ◽  
pp. 17-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thee Chowwanonthapunya ◽  
Chaiyawat Peeratatsuwan

In this study, the structures of Al-5Ti-1B master alloy and its influence on microstructures and mechanical properties of A356 alloy were investigated. The results show that Al-5Ti-1B master alloy consisted of the uniform distribution of lump-like TiB2 and network of TiAl3 on α-Al matrix. The addition of the Al-5Ti-1B master alloy can significantly reduce the grain size of A356 alloy. The mechanical properties of A356 alloy, i.e. ultimate tensile strength, yield strength and elongation were also improved. The use of Al-5Ti-1B master alloy as a grain refiner in the casting process of A356 alloy can effectively enhance the grain refinement and thus improve the mechanical performance of A356 alloy.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1056 ◽  
pp. 47-51
Author(s):  
Ai Wu Yu ◽  
Cheng Gang Yang ◽  
Peng He ◽  
He Chen

This study investigated the influence of Ti and Zr grain refiner on the microstructure and tensile properties of pure aluminum. The results show that Ti and Zr composite refiner exhibit better grain-refining effect than that of Ti or Zr added alone, only adding 0.15%Ti and 0.15%Zr can positively refine the grain size and change the growth morphology from columnar grains to fine equiaxed ones. When composite adding 0.5%Ti and 0.3%Zr, the tensile strength of the alloy is increased from 43.5MPa of pure aluminum to 84.4 MPa and the average grain size is reduced to only about 62μm.


2010 ◽  
Vol 654-656 ◽  
pp. 1472-1475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Bermingham ◽  
Stuart D. McDonald ◽  
Matthew S. Dargusch ◽  
David H. StJohn

Grain refinement of titanium alloys during solidification is believed to have many benefits for processing and properties. Recent work has emphasized the importance of solute elements in grain refining cast titanium and it was demonstrated that the growth restriction factor is useful for predicting the grain refining effectiveness of solute elements in titanium. Despite oxygen being the major impurity element present in titanium alloys and having been previously identified as a theoretical growth restricting solute, its effect as a β-grain refiner is still unexplored. This paper investigates the effect of oxygen on the grain size in cast titanium alloys.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subrata K. Saha

Grain refinement is a proven method to improve mechanical properties of Mg alloys. In this research, the influence of ZnO on the microstructure of selected magnesium alloys was investigated. For graphite mold casting with an addition of 0.75 wt. % ZnO, the grain size of the AZ91E alloy decreased from 217 μm to 108 μm. For the binary alloy (Mg-9 wt.% Al), the grain size reduced from 288 μm to 93 μm with an addition of 3 wt.% ZnO. No significant fading of ZnO grain refiner was observed for both the alloys. In permanent mold casting process, with an addition of 0.5 wt.% ZnO, the grain size of the AZ91E alloy decreased from 133μm to 79 μm with significant improvements in mechanical properties. Cleavage type fracture was dominant in the base alloy while alloys refined with 0.5 wt.% ZnO showed more quasi-cleavage type fracture.


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